Embrace You: Book (Loneliness) by Alison Cole Read Free Book Online Page A

out."
    "Thank you, again. We'll let you get back to work," I say. Leaving, we return home. After everything that's been happening, we are very wary and we look all round us to make sure we're not being watched - or followed. Five minutes later, we pull in through the electronic gate.

Chapter 5

    I nside the house, Marcus goes from window to window, peering outside. We don't rest easy until he comes into the baby's room with an expression of relief.
    "Nobody followed us. Now, I'm glad we exercised so much caution when we moved and didn't have a housewarming party. I know it was painful for you, your family and mine, but I think the alternative would have been far worse."
    I shiver. He's right, of course. I pull Lizzie's blanket up closer to her tiny chin and rest my hand on her back as she sleeps peacefully. Oh, for the innocence of a child!
    Marcus and I go back downstairs and sit, cuddling on our couch. As we sit, we offer comfort to each other, in our words and our embraces of each other.
    "She's locked up and they tell us that she's not being released. That's something," says Marcus.
    "There's one thing I wonder. We've seen her picture in your school yearbook. How could she think that you would be interested in her some fourteen years past secondary school, if you weren't interested in her during school?"
    "The human mind is a fearsome thing, Jo. Despite all evidence to the contrary, Cara believed that, if she lost even a fraction of the weight she needed to lose, I would somehow, magically fall in love with her. She convinced herself of this 'fact,' so much so that, I think she became delusional. As the barrister said, we don't know what kind of diagnosis she will be given, if any. What counts more than anything is that she is safely locked away behind bars - where she belongs. And her friend is, too. Neither one of them can do us any harm as long as they stay where they are. We also have to keep our guard high - keep a watch on when we are out and about and, more than anything make sure that nobody can get to our precious little girl."
    That's the day the phone calls from tabloids begin. Starting at the beginning of the day and continuing until well after we came home, they call us repeatedly. Of course, we have nothing to say to them - but because they mask their phone numbers, we don't know who's calling us. We resort to screening our calls. When a family member or friend calls and we hear their voice on our voice mail, we pick up immediately.
    Marcus calls the magistrate to register this newest development with them. Now that the gag order is in effect, the press is starving for any word from anyone involved in this sorry case. The calls disrupt Lizzie's sleep and she becomes a little crankypuss. Even when we dial the volume of the phone's ringer down, it's audible in her bedroom.
    As a result of Marcus' call to the magistrate, the press is forbidden from any contact with us, at all. Of course, we love these gag orders, so we say nothing when we're approached. The press doesn't give up - instead, they resort to camping out in front of our house or the studio to see if they can get any word from us.

    Tim and the boys are gathered in a small cluster when Marcus, Lizzie and I arrive for practice this morning. They go quiet as we open the studio door, so we know they're talking about us.
    I set Lizzie into her play pen as Marcus gets ready to start working.
    "Marcus, Johanna, we've been talking about your situation and we think we may have something of a temporary solution," Tim says.
    Of course, this grabs our attention. Marcus lifts the baby out of her pen and we join the boys.
    "What is it? Short of murder, that is," says Marcus darkly.
    "Nothing that extreme. We were thinking of giving the press what they want - then, at the end, unleashing a complete surprise on them and giving them exactly...nothing," says Tim mysteriously.
    I have to admit, I'm lost when he says this.
    "Tim, what do you mean?"
    "I mean, talk to